


Always

by Wishful86



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Comfort, Family, Gen, M/M, Support, small non-explicit mentions of the past, spoilery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 10:06:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7886938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishful86/pseuds/Wishful86
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robert proves that he is keeping to his word. </p><p>The Dingle's are about to go out searching for Belle but Robert knows Aaron needs a break. </p><p>Hope you enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always

When Robert walked through to the backroom there was a pack of Dingle’s around the kitchen table. Having long since got past the point of feeling uncomfortable around them, he merely dropped his paperwork down on the sofa and continued to the kitchen to make a brew.

“Anyone want one?” he gestured towards the pack with the kettle, figuring he may as well be polite.

Chas squinted at him before shaking her head, “Er, no thanks.”

Receiving nothing more than looks of puzzlement or shakes of the head from the others, Robert shrugged and grabbed for his own cup out of the cupboard. 

Cain, who had completely ignored Robert, besides giving him the briefest of side-eye, carried on with what he had been saying, “So, Marlon and Sammy, you can meet Bailey in town. Chas, you are heading out with our Lisa again and me and Aaron can go up to the-” 

“No,” Robert cut in firmly, causing the Dingle’s to all turn to him.

“What do you mean 'no'?” Chas looked at him confused.

“No, I don’t think it’s a good-”

“What’s this got to do with you?” Cain interrupted with a growl. 

Robert ran a hand down his face, “Ok. Look, can Aaron stay here, please? Manning the phone?”

“What? Why?” Cain furrowed his brow and Robert immediately noted the change in Cain’s demeanour the moment Aaron’s name was mentioned; there was a definite hint of concern.

Chas, however, wasn’t there yet and she shook her head, “Look, you can be with our Aaron some other time. Our Belle is-”

“What? No,” Robert interrupted sharply, “It isn’t about that.”

“Good. ‘cos we've already missed one phone call due to-” Marlon began but Cain narrowed his eyes and spoke over him,

“Then what is it about?” 

Robert hesitated so Cain pushed, “Come on, Sugden.”

“Ok, ok,” Robert's shoulders dropped slightly in defeat. He hadn’t really wanted to make it a thing, "I just think Aaron could do with a break.”

“Why?” Sam asked.

“He's ok?” Concern was now written all over Chas’s face, which was what Robert wanted to avoid. 

“He’s fine,” Robert answered. However, a dangerous look flashed in Cain’s eyes and the younger man knew that he wouldn’t get away with brushing them off. He sighed, “Well, ok, he didn’t sleep much last night. I think this with Belle... and then there was a thing with Liv…and GCSE results-”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Marlon wrinkled his nose.

Robert shrugged sadly, “Teenage years. It’s got Aaron…remembering.”

“Oh god,” Chas shook her head, “I never thought.” There was a look that passed between her and Cain which made Robert shake his head.

“You’ve got enough going on,” he pointed out, not wanting them to feel guilty. 

“Yeah, and you’re looking after him,” Sam stated so matter-of-factly towards Robert that it caused a kind of stunned silence where no-one knew what to say. It was a sentence that the Dingle’s would have once wanted to argue against but now they found they couldn’t. 

It was a sentence that made Robert swell with pride. 

Chas flicked her eyes over her son's boyfriend and nodded approvingly, “You really are.”

Cain sniffed, “Aaron is ok though, right?”

Robert was still feeling the warmth from Sam and Chas’s words that he failed to answer straight away, making Marlon prompt him again,

“Robert? Aaron is ok? Or will be?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure he’ll be ok with some rest,” Robert assured the older man and the others but then he added, “Although, please don’t tell him-”

“We won’t say a word,” Chas said, touching his arm gently, “But if you need us...”

“I think we’ll be ok but I hear you,” Robert told her, understandingly, “Thanks.”

Aaron chose that moment to enter the room and it was obvious to all when they saw the dark circles around his eyes that Robert was right; he looked like he needed a good sleep. 

“Oh hey,” Aaron nodded at his family and started shrugging off his work jacket, “I’ll just be a sec and then I'll be ready to-”

“Change of plan,” Cain interrupted, his eyes flicking to Robert, “You are manning the phone tonight.”

Aaron looked up properly then, “You what? I thought I was-”

“We aren’t too keen on leaving it to Charity so you and Robert are keeping an eye,” Chas told him, easily covering up the real reason.

“Oh right,” Aaron blinked and then his eyes settled on his boyfriend who he hadn’t quite realised was in the room until then, “Well, we can do that.”

Robert smiled, relieved that Aaron didn’t seem suspicious about anything. “I was thinking we could ring round a few places too,” he stated.

“Good idea,” Marlon said, pointing at Robert in support.

“Yeah, it is,” Chas agreed, squeezing Robert's arm again. 

“Right, we better get a shift on,” Cain announced, folding up a map and shoving it in his pocket. “Sammy, you can come with me.”

“Ok,” Sam said, moving over to the door with Marlon.

Aaron crossed the room towards Robert which meant passing his mum and upon seeing her son closer- the hunch of his shoulders and exhaustion so clear on his face- Chas couldn’t help herself, “Hard day at work, love?”

Both Robert and Cain flashed her looks but Chas didn’t care; her eyes were on Aaron, who came to a stop leaning next to his boyfriend on the counter top. “Just a few extra deliveries,” he told her folding his arms with a shrug.

Chas didn’t miss the way his eyes flicked to Robert though and for a second she felt a pang of jealously towards the man that managed to get her son to open up.

“I’ll make you a coffee,” Robert smiled at his boyfriend gently, he too noticing Aaron glancing at him and knowing that the younger man was longing to be away from questions. “We’ll call you if we hear anything,” he said towards the Dingle’s in the hope of hurrying them along.

Cain got the hint and pushed at his sister’s arm. “And we’ll call you, if we have news,” he stated.

“Right, yes,” Chas said, stepping towards the door with Cain’s guidance but unable to stop herself from addressing her son one last time, “You take it easy, yeah?”

“Mum, I’m fine,” Aaron told her, annoyance beginning to creep through.

Chas glanced at Robert who nodded and then she finally left the room with the others.

Aaron puffed out a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. It had been a long day. Suddenly though, he felt himself being enveloped in the warm embrace of his boyfriend and he couldn’t help but smile as his chin came to rest on a solid shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Robert released him and kissed his forehead, “Don’t mention it.”

“Is it bad that I am glad I don’t have to go out searching?” Aaron asked biting his lip.

“No, no, of course not,” Robert said with a frown, “It’s not like you aren't helping; we’re on phone duty.”

“I suppose,” Aaron agreed and Robert was relieved that his boyfriend’s guilt was short lived; that was the last thing he wanted Aaron to feel. “And your idea of ringing round places is good,” Aaron stated, “What were you thinking? Hostels?”

Truth be told, Robert hadn’t been thinking anything-it was just an idea that popped into his head and came out of his mouth- but he nodded, “Yeah and homeless shelters. That kind of thing. But first, we are going to have that coffee.”

Aaron lent across and kissed him softly, “Sounds like a plan.”

Robert couldn’t resist smirking, “I am the ‘King of Plans’.”

“You are the ‘King of Schemes’, you mean,” Aaron snorted, “There is a difference.”

Robert laughed as he pulled another cup from the cupboard but then noticed how Aaron was pulling at his jumper sleeves and frowned, “Are you ok? Do you want to talk about it?”

“Think I talked enough last night,” Aaron said, bobbing his head.

“Hey,” Robert cupped his chin so he looked up again, “You can tell me anything.”

Aaron’s eyes shone, “I know. But are you ok if we just sit quiet for a bit?”

Robert ran a thumb down his cheek, “Of course.” He let go of his boyfriend and gestured to the sofa, “You go and sit and I’ll bring them over.”

When Chas and Cain returned to the pub, Robert was sat on the sofa with two phones in front of him, watching TV. Aaron was curled up, tucked under Robert’s arm, fast asleep. Sam couldn’t have been more right.


End file.
